The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1887-08-19
THE OLD PIONEER.
He Entertains the Children With
Stories Of His Boyhood Days.

Stories of His Boyhood Days.
"A Pet Bear and His Funny ways-Ths
Boys and the Panther-How IN Indian
was Whipped BY IN Old Sow.
fhe Old Pioneer is bothered almos,
nightly by his great-grandchildren for
stories of his boyhood days and the
ways of the people who lived in the
backwoods of Ohio. The desires Of the
boys ran mostly to "reminiscences Of
bears and Indians. tales of war and the
chase. That of Polly inclines more to
-storie of the pioneers themselves, and
Polly being the old mans favorite.
certainly the most imperative of his
audience, generally has her way about
such things. But the other night her
brothers, one older and the other
younger than Polly. declared so vehe-
hemently that they had right to
choose a subject that even Polly.
though. as usual, curlei up in the old
mans lap. graciously waived what she
considered her vested rights. she ad-
mitted for once she should not object
to a story about bear.
But think if you can't remember
some thing about little bear. Grandpa
- baby bear-that wouldn't eat up
children IKE the bears in the Bible
that ate up the children that told 'Lisha
to git up. cid Baldhead?'
TIE old man laughed a little, to him.
self as he said: SWELL, Poll. I'm not
80 mighty sure eff the bars we had them
days was the kind old 'Lisha he'd TO-
lerin' him. Don't b'lieve they'd eat
children. Hold on. though; come to
think, they ulster eat up a lamb now n
then, n they liked nice, fat little pig
most too we'll"
Polly shuddered and drew up her
feet until she made herself into little
round ball. with her fluffy yellow hair
rs a top-knot and her blue eyes
rounder and brighter than ever.
Il he'd bar myself. once" con-
tinued he; - little Teller. Father n
my big brothers brought him home
rom big hunt they took one time.
afte: they'd killed the old mother n
the other cub. He wuz bout as big ez
a big puppy. n looked lots ike one,
Jest ez fat 5 butter, 18th a nice, black.
shaggy hide n tn funniest face you
ever saw. He WIZ ez cute 5 kitten
n bout ez mischievous, soon s got so
he knowed our ways. He'd git into
more mischief than all the family could
keep him out Nv, n f he hadn't been so
blamed comical he'd a gone into tn
meat-barrel ez fresh meat long atore
he did. Mother d say dozen times q
week thet she'd enough ter do 'thout
watchin' bar, n t wouldn't be more
n an hour afore she'd be laughin' at n
pettin' him like tn rest Nv u. He'd
watch. n if ever she'd leave tn milk
house SOS he could git tn door open
he'd pry roun' till he'd git in. n then
he 60 for tn butter. n lap up a whole
crock o milk fore you could say Jack
Robinson. N if she'd come after him
m slap him over. he'd turn = summer
set n come up right side foremost n
paddle after her, cryin' like child
ill she'd stop n pet him n he'd seem
to think it WIZ all right n 60 of t
find somethin' else ter do. Then he'd
60 down by tn pond n watch tn
young ducks n geese till he'd catch
one, n he'd paw it over n over n
play with it till tn old mother'd jest
raise tn biggest kind o rumpus n fly
at i'm in fury. That wuz fun: n
he'd never mind it till some one O.
us'd come down n make him quit n
ahen he'd trot off t find somethin'
else By the mex summer Bruno. ez
We called i'm. got ter be right smart
Bar. n more full O. mischief n ever.
One Sunday they wuz . big meetin'
few miles Oh N We all went shet
Bruno up in tn corn-crib n
thought he'd stay there all
right He cried n whined when
he see US all goin' / leave him-he
liked company better'n most people n
080-O WVSoC II EH1SA w SncS up. we
stayed TIL most night n when
go: home mother opened tn door-she
WA ahead o. the ress Nv us-'n Jest
n held up her hands n sed:
Mercy on me! Who's bin herer N
there wuz tn awfalest mess You ever
saw. Looked like they'd bin tornado
furned loose n tn house. All tn
chairs were turned over n layin' every
which w.y. n every thin else n tn
room wuz mixed up n some O. them
broke. N all over the floor wuz marks
o. bars feet n the marks wuz all
sticky. One O. tn windows WIZ open.
n Al round it wuz marks o BARS feet
They went upstairs. too. n mother
knowed in Q minute whose feet he'd bin
there; n soon's she got over her sur
prise she begin ter git mad. n jest
Jew upstairs Things there WIZ
sbout e they vuz d0un-stairh bas |